You might want to check your pockets, piggy-banks and down the back of the sofa!

For it has come to light that a variety of common coins that have been in circulation for years could be worth a pretty penny…

What with all the buzz around the new plastic £5 notes selling for thousands online, Somerset Live can reveal that rare and special edition 50p, 20p, 2p and £2 coins are selling for far in excess of their normal value.

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Somewhere between 50,000 and 200,000 coins being put into circulation before the mistake was spotted, and a mint-condition coin now sells for up to £100.

London Olympic 50p coin - £3,000

The London Olympics aquatic 50p

A lasting legacy of the London Olympic games was a series of 50p coins with one of 29 designs on the back.

Some of the designs were produced in higher numbers than the rest, and a full set would normally go for £35.

Some of the rarer designers featuring football, wheelchair rugby, wrestling and tennis, can be exchanged for £3 or £4 individually.

However, the prize find, recently listed for £3,000 on eBay , is one of 600 original aquatic coins, showing water passing over a swimmer's face, before the design was altered to show a visible face of the sportsman.

The EC commemorative 50p coin - £20

The Council of Europe 50p

One for those Brexiteers, or not. In 1992 and 1993 the Mint issued a commemorative coin to celebrate the British presidency of the council of Europe. Just 109,000 coins were issued, compared to the usual 5-12million, making it highly collectable.

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The coins are no longer in circulation because the 50p piece was reduced in size in 1997, but if you have one in your penny jar at home it could be worth as much as £20.

The 1983 'New Pence' 2p coin - £650

The 'new pence' 2p

After British currency went decimal in 1971, all 2p coins had 'New Pence' on the reverse until 1981.

The Royal Mint decided to replace 'New Pence" with 'Two Pence' in 1982. However, in 1983 the Mint accidentally produced a small number that bore the old inscription 'New Pence'. These went into special collectors' sets, but if you do find one that made its way into circulation it could be worth up to £650.

Guy Fawkes £2 coin - £16

Some Guy Fawkes £2 coins included a misprint

The Royal Mint regularly releases £2 coins with different designs and inscriptions on the edging. This mean, however, that mistakes sometimes creep in.

The Guy Fawkes coin was released in 2005 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the gun powder plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

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On some of the coins released into circulation the inscription read "Pemember, Pemember the Fifth of November instead of "Remember, Remember".

Those coins usually sell for around £16 on eBay.

Charles Dickens £2 coin - £8

The Charles Dickens £2 coin (Image: David Parry/PA)

In 2012 the Mint released a £2 coin to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. The detailed reverse profile feature the names of the author's books. Only 20,000 coins were minted, making it a collectable coin worth up to four times its face value.

Mary Rose and King James Bible £2 coins - £6

The Mary Rose £2 coin commemorating the 500th anniversary of the launch of the famous ship (Image: David Parry/PA Wire)

This rare coin marking the 500th anniversary of the Mary Rose - Henry VIII's mighty warship, which sunk in the Solent in 1545

Both designs were released by the Royal Mint in 2011 in limited editions of 20,000 each to mark the 500th anniversary of the Mary Rose and the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Both coins are already becoming collectable due to the small numbers and reach double to triple their face value.